August 21, 2025 • 19 mins
Ready to wrap up your corporate chapter and finally build the life you really want? In Part 2 of this powerful series, I’m sharing the final 5 things I wish someone had told me before I left my six-figure job.
These lessons will help you prepare emotionally, financially, and spiritually so you can create a smooth, successful transition — without the panic spiral or second-guessing.
If you haven’t listened to Part 1 yet, make sure to catch Ep. 95 after you listen!
🎯 In today’s episode, you’ll learn:
- Why your identity cannot be tied to your title
- How to maximize every last benefit before you resign
- Why you’ll be tested with shiny offers — and how to stay strong
- How to evaluate long-term incentives (and break free from the golden handcuffs)
- The incredible ripple effect of your bold decision to leave
💡 Whether you’re still planning or already halfway out the door, this episode will give you tools to reinforce your confidence and reclaim your power.
You’re not “walking away from corporate” — you’re walking toward something better. Your leap will inspire more people than you know.
🎧 Hit play and let’s finish strong!
If you're looking for additional support through coaching, visit my website to learn more about working together and my signature program EDIT Your Life™: www.karinfreeland.com/life-coaching
Then book a call here!
Not ready for coaching? Get a copy of my self-help book: Grab Life by the Dreams!
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Karin Freeland (00:00):
Welcome to Rock Your Reinvention, where I help
high-achieving career women likeyou get unstuck, make your
corporate exit strategy, andsuccessfully transition to your
next chapter.
Hi, I'm your host, KarinFreeland, a certified life coach
and corporate exit strategist.
Whether you want to start abusiness, become a speaker, or
something else, I'm here to giveyou the tools and strategies to
(00:23):
shift your mindset, build yourconfidence, and take bold
actions so you can rock yourreinvention.
Ready?
Thanks for joining me andcoming back for part two of 10
things you need to know beforeyou leave your six-figure job.
If you haven't listened to partone yet, make sure you head
(00:45):
over there next and give that alisten too.
These are things that I reallywish someone would have told me
before I left my six-figure job.
And since I don't like to keepsecrets, I want to make sure I'm
passing this information alongto you.
Because by knowing thesethings, these other five things
that you need to know before youleave your job, you can make a
(01:07):
more effective exit plan.
You can avoid the mistakes thatI've made and prepare for the
obstacles ahead.
I want this transition to be assmooth as possible for you.
So without further ado, let'sjump in.
Number 6, you have to know thatyou are not your job or your
(01:27):
title.
Your identity is so much morethan that.
Now I wanna share two recentexamples that I think will
really help paint this picture.
First, I was listening to apodcast recently about preparing
for retirement and they hadthis big banking executive on,
it was a female, and she wastalking about identity and how
(01:49):
this is really critical.
Like before you leave your job,you need to start thinking
about who you are, how you'regonna fill your time.
And she said something to theeffect of, you know, I know I'm
going to be out there at thegrocery store and think, don't
you know who I was?
Don't you know what I did?
And I'm sitting there in my cardriving, yelling at the radio,
(02:09):
you know, at the podcast.
Like, no, they don't know whoyou were and they don't care.
And sadly, that is the truth.
You can spend your whole lifein an organization and when you
retire, No one is going to knowwho you were and no one is going
to care.
(02:30):
You're going to be at the gasstation pumping your gas just
like everybody else.
No one's going to be like, ohmy gosh, that's Karin.
She was the VP of digital go tomarket and learning.
She's my hero.
No, that doesn't happen.
So you need to be reallycareful of this identity trap.
(02:51):
And if you want more supportspecifically on this topic, I
would encourage you to listen toepisode 40 of Rock Your
Reinvention.
Episode 40, Is YourSelf-Identity Holding You Back?
So if you're not your job oryour title, then who the hell
are you, right?
(03:12):
And believe me, this is not aneasy question to answer.
I was watching a video of JamesVan Der Beek.
You probably remember him.
He was a big actor on Dawson'sCreek back in the day.
I didn't watch the show, but Iguess that that was his claim to
fame.
And he left Hollywood and hewas talking about how for the
beginning of his life, heidentified so much of his life
(03:34):
as an actor, but when he left,he wasn't really sure how to
identify himself.
And then he got married and hewas a husband and that was
great.
And then he had kids and hebecame a dad and he felt like
that was the ultimate.
and he was homesteading andliving off the land.
So he became this like stewardof the land.
And then he got cancer and hecould no longer be a husband.
(03:59):
He could no longer be a dad orbe a steward of the land.
He had to focus 100% ontreatments and getting better.
And so he shared that while hewas kind of laying there, he was
like, who is this frail, weakman?
Who am I?
And the way he summed it upwas, you are someone who is
(04:23):
worthy of love.
And I think that's beautiful.
We all have a differentdefinition of this.
So I don't want you to feellike that's the only identity
you can have, right?
In my faith, I would say thatI'm adopted daughter of God.
Right, that's my ultimateidentity.
And from there, I'm a wife, amom, a friend, a sarcastic,
(04:44):
silly, fun-loving weirdo.
I mean, that's sort of how Iwould describe myself.
But what's yours?
What is your true identity?
If you answer your identitywith what you do for work, you
are really gonna struggle toleave and struggle to embrace
(05:04):
whatever is next.
I also know that you may notfully know what your identity is
yet, and that is okay.
This is a process.
This is part of the journey.
And I want you to startexploring and journaling on this
so you can start formulatingthat answer before you leave.
The sooner you separate youridentity from your corporate
(05:26):
job, the easier it will be foryou to exit.
All right, I know that was aheavy one.
So number 7 is a little moretangible.
use up all your benefits.
There is a lot that can fallinto this category.
We talked about in the firstpart, how you need to figure out
insurance, but I also wannamake sure that you use up any of
(05:49):
the doctor's appointments thatyou need to do.
that you go to the dentist, youget that new pair of
eyeglasses, right?
You schedule all thoseappointments for you and anyone
else under your currentinsurance so that you use up
those benefits now.
And I would encourage you,based on some of the clients
that I've worked with, to usethem all before you give your
(06:13):
two weeks.
Because what happens issometimes the company will
surprise you and go, you knowwhat?
Thanks for your two weeks, butwe don't need them.
You're done today.
And they immediately shut offyour computer and you're out.
So you want to make sure thatyou use that stuff up first
because you just don't know ifyour benefits are going to get
cut off the second that youleave.
And you may have a smallerwindow than you think.
(06:35):
I got screwed when my companylet me go.
I got screwed out of about $600of flexible spending account
money that I should have hadaccess to.
Because, you know, usually thatmoney is good until the end of
the calendar year.
Well, they actually turned offthe card and froze my funds
about 60 days after I left.
And I really needed that moneybecause that Christmas, my son
(06:58):
got in a very bad sleddingaccident and we had a bill of
about $2,000 for plastic surgeryon his face.
So if I had known the cutoffdate, I would have at least used
those funds for something elseand then had more of my own
money left over to pay for thatbill.
This also includes things likeyour PTO, your vacation and sick
(07:19):
time.
Now, you may have the option tocash in unused time and get a
payout, but a lot of companieshave gone to unlimited PTO, so
when you leave, there's nopayout for that.
And if that's the case, then Iwanna encourage you to take some
time off before you leave.
And you can use it for thedoctor's appointments as well,
(07:42):
right?
Why not?
You're gonna be using up thosebenefits, take the time off to
go to those appointments duringbusiness hours.
And if it's unlimited andyou're planning to leave, why
not just take off an entire weekand prep yourself for going out
on your own?
So your action step here is tothink about how you're gonna use
(08:03):
your benefits, outline whenyou're gonna use them up by,
figure all that out so that youdon't give your two weeks notice
and then realize you havebenefits that were left on the
table.
Okay, number 8, you will betested.
Ooh, that sounds sort of likeominous, I know.
But the universe is going tothrow some curve balls and maybe
(08:25):
even some carrots your way.
So I want you to be preparedfor this.
One of my clients, Brenda, haddecided to leave the corporate
rat race to pursue an advanceddegree in arts education.
She was already about halfwaythrough the master's program
when she received an opportunityfor a director role at one of
(08:48):
the biggest media companies inNew York City.
This was it.
The role she had wanted toachieve the entire time that she
was working, she was like, thiswould have been my dream job.
And so during our session, shebrought it up and was like,
okay, is this universe sending asign?
(09:08):
Should I go back or am I beingtested?
And I guided her through aprocess of finding out, which
involved inviting her to listento her body and how it responded
as she read through the jobdescription slowly.
And she noticed almostimmediately within like the
(09:30):
first six or seven sentences ofthe job description, she's like,
I already feel anxious.
I feel nauseous.
I just don't want to do this.
So therefore, we couldconfidently say that this was
indeed a test.
that simple act of turninginward and going and reflecting
(09:51):
back on her goals and why shehad left in the first place,
right?
She could then be morecommitted than ever to
continuing her path towardsbecoming an art teacher.
That was a pretty cool momentfor both of us, but your tests
can come in the form of acounter offer, right?
If you give your two weeks andthey really don't want you to
(10:13):
leave, they may try to keep you.
What then?
Will you be prepared?
Will you have a response forthat?
A lot of my clients find thatafter they leave LinkedIn
becomes a very big trigger forthem.
They see old colleagues gettingpromoted, people getting
awarded for theiraccomplishments, and they start
(10:34):
to second guess themselves.
They wonder if they made thewrong decision.
So these are just a few waysthat you can be tested.
And now that you know, how canyou help prepare for it?
Well, Have a plan for whatyou'll do when you get triggered
or when someone offers you therole of a dream job that you
would have wanted three yearsago.
It might be something as simpleas pausing and just doing a
(10:58):
breathing exercise to centeryourself.
It might be checking in withyour body like Brenda did.
It might be taking a LinkedIndetox like I've prescribed for
several of my clients.
It might be working up aresponse to job offers.
You know, thank you so much forthinking of me.
That means a lot.
I'm actually doing XYZ now.
If you know anybody who wouldbe interested in those services,
(11:20):
I'd appreciate an introduction.
You may even want to make alist of all the reasons you're
leaving and why you never wantto go back.
So you have it readilyavailable should the carrot be
dangled in front of you.
One caveat worth noting is thatwe tend to romanticize the past
when we're scared of change, orwe tell ourselves like, oh,
(11:44):
wasn't that bad?
Maybe I could go to corporate.
Oh, they're going to give me acounter offer.
Maybe I could stick it out foranother year.
Don't fall into that trap.
It's one of the things I sharein chapter three of my book,
Grab Life by the Dreams, when Italk about the change cycle.
And that is why I want you tohave a plan to combat this
(12:07):
stuff.
Because when we do get scared,one of our defaults is to start
romanticizing the past anddownplaying our former
discomfort.
But I'm confident that if youhave a plan, you're going to
pass the test with flyingcolors.
Okay, number 9, recognizelong-term incentives for what
(12:30):
they are.
The price is You pay to give upyour dreams.
These are quite literally thegolden handcuffs.
I know you might have ashort-term incentive, like a
bonus, and those can be hard togive up, but they're usually a
little easier to swallow thanthose long-term incentives.
(12:53):
And that's a whole point ofthem in the first place, right?
They are designed by theorganization to keep you in the
job for the long term.
Psychologically, we are wiredto fear loss more than value
gain.
Think about that for a second.
Even if your long-termincentive isn't guaranteed, it's
(13:16):
dependent on companyperformance or tenure, the idea
of leaving money on the tabletriggers real anxiety.
However, the huge long-termincentives are great in theory
but once you factor in taxes,time, market risk, they're not
really worth the emotional costof staying stuck.
(13:40):
So you have to retrain yourselfto start valuing the gain more
than the perceived loss.
So here's what you can do.
I want you to truly calculateWhat are you actually walking
away from?
After taxes, that number'sgonna be a lot smaller.
(14:01):
So let's get really clear onwhat that is.
And think about what could youearn sooner by building your own
business?
How could you replace some ofthat income?
What are some of the revenuestreams that you could create?
And then you can start thinkinglike, would you pay $100,000 to
buy back your freedom?
(14:22):
and create a life you love twoyears sooner?
Hells to the yes, right?
You're not walking away fromsomething.
You're walking towardssomething better.
I'm gonna say that again.
You are not walking away fromsomething.
Instead, you are walkingtowards something better.
(14:47):
If you can embrace that idea,it is gonna be so much easier to
let those long-term incentives,those golden handcuffs go.
Number 10, you will inspire andtouch so many lives.
You are leaving corporate.
(15:09):
So many people want to do this,but they think they can't.
So many people want to go, butthey have built lifestyle
prisons for themselves.
They're in so much debt.
They're spending so much ofwhat they earn each month and
they don't see a way out.
Their kids are on theirpayroll.
(15:30):
I mean, I have seen so manyexamples of this and had people
send me messages, Karin, I wishI could do what you did, but
here's the laundry list ofreasons why I can't.
And then here you come leavingand going on to follow your
dreams.
You're the one to be admired.
Not all the people who stay inan unfulfilling job and you
(15:54):
never know the ripple effectthat your exit will have.
I mean, for one, you're goingto plant a seed in others,
right?
You're going to send a signalthat it's okay to leave and do
something new.
It's okay to go follow yourdreams.
That is powerful.
Then whatever you go do, thebusiness you start, the
(16:16):
audiences you speak to, theclients you serve, the readers
who read your work if you writea book, you're going to change
so many lives through that.
And many of the lives you won'teven know that you've touched
or how you've touched them.
That ripple effect is justbeyond calculation.
And I think that's pretty cool.
(16:37):
Not to mention, if you havekids, you're going to show them
that they don't have to settle,that they can truly be whatever
they want.
Now that's an example worthsetting.
I mean, my husband left hiscompany to start his own
business in May.
I never in a million years, ifyou had asked me if my husband
was a business owner, I'd havebeen like, no way.
(17:00):
I had no idea I would inspiremy own spouse to make a move.
Yet here we are.
So you can literally change theworld and the lives of others
for the better.
simply by being you and chasingyour dreams.
Now that's a world worth livingin.
That's exciting.
(17:21):
If you're crafty, this is agreat time to make a vision
board of all the things you wantto achieve, but also all the
ways that you want to impact theworld.
Or if you're not so great atvision boards, maybe you do a
journal and you do an entry ifyou prefer writing.
Either way, you'll have abeautiful representation of how
(17:45):
you'll inspire others on yourjourney.
And you'll have a much clearerpicture of that thing that
you're walking towards, like wejust talked about in number
nine.
Well, that's it for thisepisode.
I hope you're feeling inspired.
As you heard, the final fivethings I wish someone told me
(18:05):
before I left corporate and thatI wanted to make sure you knew
before you left corporate were,You are not your job or your
title.
Your identity is so much morethan that.
Use up all your benefits.
They owe you it for putting upwith their organization for so
long.
That's the way I see it.
So don't be afraid to get everylast little bit of your
(18:28):
benefits and exhaust them.
You will be tested either asyou're leaving or after you're
out.
So be ready.
Recognize long-term incentivesfor what they are golden
handcuffs that are holding youback from achieving your dreams.
And you will inspire and touchso many lives with your new
(18:50):
path.
Take the leap.
Rock your reinvention.
I believe in you.
Welcome to Rock Your Reinvention, where I help
high-achieving career women likeyou get unstuck, make your
corporate exit strategy, andsuccessfully transition to your
next chapter.
Hi, I'm your host, KarinFreeland, a certified life coach
and corporate exit strategist.
Whether you want to start abusiness, become a speaker, or
something else, I'm here to giveyou the tools and strategies to
(00:23):
shift your mindset, build yourconfidence, and take bold
actions so you can rock yourreinvention.
Ready?
Thanks for joining me andcoming back for part two of 10
things you need to know beforeyou leave your six-figure job.
If you haven't listened to partone yet, make sure you head
(00:45):
over there next and give that alisten too.
These are things that I reallywish someone would have told me
before I left my six-figure job.
And since I don't like to keepsecrets, I want to make sure I'm
passing this information alongto you.
Because by knowing thesethings, these other five things
that you need to know before youleave your job, you can make a
(01:07):
more effective exit plan.
You can avoid the mistakes thatI've made and prepare for the
obstacles ahead.
I want this transition to be assmooth as possible for you.
So without further ado, let'sjump in.
Number 6, you have to know thatyou are not your job or your
(01:27):
title.
Your identity is so much morethan that.
Now I wanna share two recentexamples that I think will
really help paint this picture.
First, I was listening to apodcast recently about preparing
for retirement and they hadthis big banking executive on,
it was a female, and she wastalking about identity and how
(01:49):
this is really critical.
Like before you leave your job,you need to start thinking
about who you are, how you'regonna fill your time.
And she said something to theeffect of, you know, I know I'm
going to be out there at thegrocery store and think, don't
you know who I was?
Don't you know what I did?
And I'm sitting there in my cardriving, yelling at the radio,
(02:09):
you know, at the podcast.
Like, no, they don't know whoyou were and they don't care.
And sadly, that is the truth.
You can spend your whole lifein an organization and when you
retire, No one is going to knowwho you were and no one is going
to care.
(02:30):
You're going to be at the gasstation pumping your gas just
like everybody else.
No one's going to be like, ohmy gosh, that's Karin.
She was the VP of digital go tomarket and learning.
She's my hero.
No, that doesn't happen.
So you need to be reallycareful of this identity trap.
(02:51):
And if you want more supportspecifically on this topic, I
would encourage you to listen toepisode 40 of Rock Your
Reinvention.
Episode 40, Is YourSelf-Identity Holding You Back?
So if you're not your job oryour title, then who the hell
are you, right?
(03:12):
And believe me, this is not aneasy question to answer.
I was watching a video of JamesVan Der Beek.
You probably remember him.
He was a big actor on Dawson'sCreek back in the day.
I didn't watch the show, but Iguess that that was his claim to
fame.
And he left Hollywood and hewas talking about how for the
beginning of his life, heidentified so much of his life
(03:34):
as an actor, but when he left,he wasn't really sure how to
identify himself.
And then he got married and hewas a husband and that was
great.
And then he had kids and hebecame a dad and he felt like
that was the ultimate.
and he was homesteading andliving off the land.
So he became this like stewardof the land.
And then he got cancer and hecould no longer be a husband.
(03:59):
He could no longer be a dad orbe a steward of the land.
He had to focus 100% ontreatments and getting better.
And so he shared that while hewas kind of laying there, he was
like, who is this frail, weakman?
Who am I?
And the way he summed it upwas, you are someone who is
(04:23):
worthy of love.
And I think that's beautiful.
We all have a differentdefinition of this.
So I don't want you to feellike that's the only identity
you can have, right?
In my faith, I would say thatI'm adopted daughter of God.
Right, that's my ultimateidentity.
And from there, I'm a wife, amom, a friend, a sarcastic,
(04:44):
silly, fun-loving weirdo.
I mean, that's sort of how Iwould describe myself.
But what's yours?
What is your true identity?
If you answer your identitywith what you do for work, you
are really gonna struggle toleave and struggle to embrace
(05:04):
whatever is next.
I also know that you may notfully know what your identity is
yet, and that is okay.
This is a process.
This is part of the journey.
And I want you to startexploring and journaling on this
so you can start formulatingthat answer before you leave.
The sooner you separate youridentity from your corporate
(05:26):
job, the easier it will be foryou to exit.
All right, I know that was aheavy one.
So number 7 is a little moretangible.
use up all your benefits.
There is a lot that can fallinto this category.
We talked about in the firstpart, how you need to figure out
insurance, but I also wannamake sure that you use up any of
(05:49):
the doctor's appointments thatyou need to do.
that you go to the dentist, youget that new pair of
eyeglasses, right?
You schedule all thoseappointments for you and anyone
else under your currentinsurance so that you use up
those benefits now.
And I would encourage you,based on some of the clients
that I've worked with, to usethem all before you give your
(06:13):
two weeks.
Because what happens issometimes the company will
surprise you and go, you knowwhat?
Thanks for your two weeks, butwe don't need them.
You're done today.
And they immediately shut offyour computer and you're out.
So you want to make sure thatyou use that stuff up first
because you just don't know ifyour benefits are going to get
cut off the second that youleave.
And you may have a smallerwindow than you think.
(06:35):
I got screwed when my companylet me go.
I got screwed out of about $600of flexible spending account
money that I should have hadaccess to.
Because, you know, usually thatmoney is good until the end of
the calendar year.
Well, they actually turned offthe card and froze my funds
about 60 days after I left.
And I really needed that moneybecause that Christmas, my son
(06:58):
got in a very bad sleddingaccident and we had a bill of
about $2,000 for plastic surgeryon his face.
So if I had known the cutoffdate, I would have at least used
those funds for something elseand then had more of my own
money left over to pay for thatbill.
This also includes things likeyour PTO, your vacation and sick
(07:19):
time.
Now, you may have the option tocash in unused time and get a
payout, but a lot of companieshave gone to unlimited PTO, so
when you leave, there's nopayout for that.
And if that's the case, then Iwanna encourage you to take some
time off before you leave.
And you can use it for thedoctor's appointments as well,
(07:42):
right?
Why not?
You're gonna be using up thosebenefits, take the time off to
go to those appointments duringbusiness hours.
And if it's unlimited andyou're planning to leave, why
not just take off an entire weekand prep yourself for going out
on your own?
So your action step here is tothink about how you're gonna use
(08:03):
your benefits, outline whenyou're gonna use them up by,
figure all that out so that youdon't give your two weeks notice
and then realize you havebenefits that were left on the
table.
Okay, number 8, you will betested.
Ooh, that sounds sort of likeominous, I know.
But the universe is going tothrow some curve balls and maybe
(08:25):
even some carrots your way.
So I want you to be preparedfor this.
One of my clients, Brenda, haddecided to leave the corporate
rat race to pursue an advanceddegree in arts education.
She was already about halfwaythrough the master's program
when she received an opportunityfor a director role at one of
(08:48):
the biggest media companies inNew York City.
This was it.
The role she had wanted toachieve the entire time that she
was working, she was like, thiswould have been my dream job.
And so during our session, shebrought it up and was like,
okay, is this universe sending asign?
(09:08):
Should I go back or am I beingtested?
And I guided her through aprocess of finding out, which
involved inviting her to listento her body and how it responded
as she read through the jobdescription slowly.
And she noticed almostimmediately within like the
(09:30):
first six or seven sentences ofthe job description, she's like,
I already feel anxious.
I feel nauseous.
I just don't want to do this.
So therefore, we couldconfidently say that this was
indeed a test.
that simple act of turninginward and going and reflecting
(09:51):
back on her goals and why shehad left in the first place,
right?
She could then be morecommitted than ever to
continuing her path towardsbecoming an art teacher.
That was a pretty cool momentfor both of us, but your tests
can come in the form of acounter offer, right?
If you give your two weeks andthey really don't want you to
(10:13):
leave, they may try to keep you.
What then?
Will you be prepared?
Will you have a response forthat?
A lot of my clients find thatafter they leave LinkedIn
becomes a very big trigger forthem.
They see old colleagues gettingpromoted, people getting
awarded for theiraccomplishments, and they start
(10:34):
to second guess themselves.
They wonder if they made thewrong decision.
So these are just a few waysthat you can be tested.
And now that you know, how canyou help prepare for it?
Well, Have a plan for whatyou'll do when you get triggered
or when someone offers you therole of a dream job that you
would have wanted three yearsago.
It might be something as simpleas pausing and just doing a
(10:58):
breathing exercise to centeryourself.
It might be checking in withyour body like Brenda did.
It might be taking a LinkedIndetox like I've prescribed for
several of my clients.
It might be working up aresponse to job offers.
You know, thank you so much forthinking of me.
That means a lot.
I'm actually doing XYZ now.
If you know anybody who wouldbe interested in those services,
(11:20):
I'd appreciate an introduction.
You may even want to make alist of all the reasons you're
leaving and why you never wantto go back.
So you have it readilyavailable should the carrot be
dangled in front of you.
One caveat worth noting is thatwe tend to romanticize the past
when we're scared of change, orwe tell ourselves like, oh,
(11:44):
wasn't that bad?
Maybe I could go to corporate.
Oh, they're going to give me acounter offer.
Maybe I could stick it out foranother year.
Don't fall into that trap.
It's one of the things I sharein chapter three of my book,
Grab Life by the Dreams, when Italk about the change cycle.
And that is why I want you tohave a plan to combat this
(12:07):
stuff.
Because when we do get scared,one of our defaults is to start
romanticizing the past anddownplaying our former
discomfort.
But I'm confident that if youhave a plan, you're going to
pass the test with flyingcolors.
Okay, number 9, recognizelong-term incentives for what
(12:30):
they are.
The price is You pay to give upyour dreams.
These are quite literally thegolden handcuffs.
I know you might have ashort-term incentive, like a
bonus, and those can be hard togive up, but they're usually a
little easier to swallow thanthose long-term incentives.
(12:53):
And that's a whole point ofthem in the first place, right?
They are designed by theorganization to keep you in the
job for the long term.
Psychologically, we are wiredto fear loss more than value
gain.
Think about that for a second.
Even if your long-termincentive isn't guaranteed, it's
(13:16):
dependent on companyperformance or tenure, the idea
of leaving money on the tabletriggers real anxiety.
However, the huge long-termincentives are great in theory
but once you factor in taxes,time, market risk, they're not
really worth the emotional costof staying stuck.
(13:40):
So you have to retrain yourselfto start valuing the gain more
than the perceived loss.
So here's what you can do.
I want you to truly calculateWhat are you actually walking
away from?
After taxes, that number'sgonna be a lot smaller.
(14:01):
So let's get really clear onwhat that is.
And think about what could youearn sooner by building your own
business?
How could you replace some ofthat income?
What are some of the revenuestreams that you could create?
And then you can start thinkinglike, would you pay $100,000 to
buy back your freedom?
(14:22):
and create a life you love twoyears sooner?
Hells to the yes, right?
You're not walking away fromsomething.
You're walking towardssomething better.
I'm gonna say that again.
You are not walking away fromsomething.
Instead, you are walkingtowards something better.
(14:47):
If you can embrace that idea,it is gonna be so much easier to
let those long-term incentives,those golden handcuffs go.
Number 10, you will inspire andtouch so many lives.
You are leaving corporate.
(15:09):
So many people want to do this,but they think they can't.
So many people want to go, butthey have built lifestyle
prisons for themselves.
They're in so much debt.
They're spending so much ofwhat they earn each month and
they don't see a way out.
Their kids are on theirpayroll.
(15:30):
I mean, I have seen so manyexamples of this and had people
send me messages, Karin, I wishI could do what you did, but
here's the laundry list ofreasons why I can't.
And then here you come leavingand going on to follow your
dreams.
You're the one to be admired.
Not all the people who stay inan unfulfilling job and you
(15:54):
never know the ripple effectthat your exit will have.
I mean, for one, you're goingto plant a seed in others,
right?
You're going to send a signalthat it's okay to leave and do
something new.
It's okay to go follow yourdreams.
That is powerful.
Then whatever you go do, thebusiness you start, the
(16:16):
audiences you speak to, theclients you serve, the readers
who read your work if you writea book, you're going to change
so many lives through that.
And many of the lives you won'teven know that you've touched
or how you've touched them.
That ripple effect is justbeyond calculation.
And I think that's pretty cool.
(16:37):
Not to mention, if you havekids, you're going to show them
that they don't have to settle,that they can truly be whatever
they want.
Now that's an example worthsetting.
I mean, my husband left hiscompany to start his own
business in May.
I never in a million years, ifyou had asked me if my husband
was a business owner, I'd havebeen like, no way.
(17:00):
I had no idea I would inspiremy own spouse to make a move.
Yet here we are.
So you can literally change theworld and the lives of others
for the better.
simply by being you and chasingyour dreams.
Now that's a world worth livingin.
That's exciting.
(17:21):
If you're crafty, this is agreat time to make a vision
board of all the things you wantto achieve, but also all the
ways that you want to impact theworld.
Or if you're not so great atvision boards, maybe you do a
journal and you do an entry ifyou prefer writing.
Either way, you'll have abeautiful representation of how
(17:45):
you'll inspire others on yourjourney.
And you'll have a much clearerpicture of that thing that
you're walking towards, like wejust talked about in number
nine.
Well, that's it for thisepisode.
I hope you're feeling inspired.
As you heard, the final fivethings I wish someone told me
(18:05):
before I left corporate and thatI wanted to make sure you knew
before you left corporate were,You are not your job or your
title.
Your identity is so much morethan that.
Use up all your benefits.
They owe you it for putting upwith their organization for so
long.
That's the way I see it.
So don't be afraid to get everylast little bit of your
(18:28):
benefits and exhaust them.
You will be tested either asyou're leaving or after you're
out.
So be ready.
Recognize long-term incentivesfor what they are golden
handcuffs that are holding youback from achieving your dreams.
And you will inspire and touchso many lives with your new
(18:50):
path.
Take the leap.
Rock your reinvention.
I believe in you.
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